You Won't Leave Me, Will You?
by PennyMew8090
Summary: During a fight with a large group of the infected, Joel gets bitten, leaving Ellie no choice but to shoot him. After burying him, Ellie has to move on on her own. But when she meets a little boy named Dylan who's in a similar situation that she's in, she'll have to take on the role of a big sister to help him. Will the two of them survive together?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

~Ellie's POV~

Joel and I walk through a forest that seems... Oddly familiar.

"This place seems familiar..." I say, looking around at the scenery.

"It does?" Joel asks, not looking at me.

"Yeah." I say. I spot a house up ahead, and then I remember where I am.

"Joel!" I say, tugging on his jacket.

"What?" he asks, looking at me and seeming a bit panicked.

"Look!" I say, pointing at the house, "It's the place where I doctored you, remember?"

Joel sighs.

"Ellie, don't scare me like that, I thought we were in danger." Joel says. I roll my eyes.

"Sorry." I say, "But, anyway, I had no idea we were so close to this place..."

"Yeah..." Joel says, although I'm not sure he's really interested, "Well, we ain't got time to mess around here, we've gotta keep movin'."

"Oh, c'mon, Joel, don't be such a crab-apple." I say with a playful smirk, poking his side with my elbow, "Can we go check it out? Please?"

Joel sighs and rolls his eyes again.

"Ugh... Fine, but just for a minute." Joel says. I grin and grab Joels arm, running with him over to the house. Joel pulls the garage door open just enough for me to get inside and I crawl in.

"Hurry up!" he says, struggling to keep the garage door open, "Find somethin' to prop it up!"

"I know, I know, I'm tryin'!" I say, looking around the garage. I push a toolbox over to the garage door, but I'm too late. Joel drops the door and it lands with a loud crash.

"Joel!" I shout, jumping back from being startled, "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine!" Joel says, sounding irritated.

"Can ya open it again?" I ask. Just as Joel's about to answer, I hear a painfully familiar noise outside. The infected.

"Shit..." I hear Joel say, and I hear his gun firing and the infected screeching.

"Joel?!" I yell.

"I'm fine!" he yells back, "Just get outta the house! There's probably more inside!"

"But-" I get interrupted.

"NOW!" Joel shouts, shooting another one of the infected. I take a few deep breaths, listening to the gunshots and screeching outside. I run up the steps in the garage to the door that leads inside, and it's locked.

"Fuck!" I shout, pounding my fist on the door, "Okay... You think you can get in my way? You're fucking wrong!"

I kick the door down and run inside the house. Everything's just as I remember it. Apparently nobody's entered here in a while. But I don't have time to look around at all. I have to save Joel. I have to. I run to the front door, but something's blocking it.

"Shit..." I mutter, "Ugh, fuck it!"

I kick the window next to the door, shattering glass everywhere. I cut my ankle a little, but I ignored the warm blood trickling down my foot and climbed out the window. Joel had shot all of the infected except for one, and that one was attacking him, trying to bite his neck.

"Joel!" I shout, running over. The zombie sees me and runs over to me, tackling me. I try to fight it off. No, it can't end like this, it WON'T end like this!

"Ellie!" Joel yells, rushing over to me. He pulls off the zombie and trys to shiv it while I'm standing up. I hear him shout in pain, and then the zombie screechs in pain, and dies. I rush over to Joel.

"Whew... I guess that's all of 'em, huh, Joel?" I say, looking over at Joel. He looks scared and sad at the same time. The same look Riley had when... We got bitten. No, no, no, he couldn't have gotten bitten, he couldn't have!

"J-Joel?" I ask, "W-what is it?"

Joel looks at me, a weak look in his eyes. I look at his arm. There's a tear in his jacket sleeve, and there's a bite on his arm. My breathing quickens, and my heart drops. This can't be happening. This CAN'T be happening!

"N-no... N-no..." is all I can manage to say, my voice choking up.

"Ellie." Joel says, grabbing my shoulders, "You have to shoot me."

"NO." I say, pulling away, "I'm NOT shooting you, Joel! I'd rather DIE than shoot you! You'll be fine, you will be! I can't lose you! Y-you're... You're the only one I have left, please don't die!"

I wrap my arms around him and sob heavily. I don't care if I'm crying. I don't care.

"Ellie..." Joel says, "Don't cry, okay? It's only making this harder."

"I DON'T CARE!" I shout, "I don't fucking care!"

Joel holds me close to him, and I don't let go of him. I can't lose him. I won't lose him. He's my dad, I can't lose him.

"Baby girl... Please..." Joel says, "I can't turn into one of those fucking things... I'll be better off."

"M-maybe you're immune like me?" I ask. I know it's unlikely, but it's worth asking. Joel shakes his head.

"No, Ellie, I'm not." Joel says, "Please... I can't turn into one of those things, I CAN'T."

Joel grabs my shoulders and pushes me away just enough so that he can look into my eyes.

"Ellie, you're strong, you can do this." Joel says, picking his gun up off of the ground and handing it to me. This isn't happening. This can't be happening.

"You have to do it." I think to myself, "Do it for Joel. Save him."

"O-okay." I say, clenching my teeth and taking the gun. My hand is trembling. I used to feel strong holding a gun, now I feel weak.

"Joel?" I ask, tears pouring down my cheeks, "I-I love you, Joel... You're like a father to me, and... I can never thank you enough."

Joel nods, shutting his eyes tightly to keep from crying. He embraces me and then lets go. I load the gun and point it at him, my hand trembling still.

"Good-bye, Ellie." Joel says, "I love you, baby girl."

"I-I love you too, Dad..." I say with a sob. I shut my eyes tightly, and my finger squeezes the trigger. The gun fires, and I hear Joel's body hit the ground. I don't want to see it, but I open my eyes. Joel's motionless body is lying on the ground in front of me. I scream and embrace his body, sobbing heavily. He's gone. Joel, the last person I had left, the last person who I loved like family, is gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

~Ellie's POV~

Tears are falling down my cheeks as I dig in the ground with a shovel I found in the garage.

"I shot him... I shot him..." is all I can think and say, my voice quivering. Time seems to pass slowly as I dig the hole deep enough, and by the time I'm finished, I see that the sun is beginning to set. But I don't care. I don't care about anything anymore. I tightly shut my eyes as I put Joel's body into the hole in the ground and start to cover it up with dirt. By the time I'm finished, it's dark.

"I have to stay strong... I have to..." I keep telling myself, although I'm not sure if I can. How can I? This is all my fault. If I hadn't wanted to go in that fucking house, none of this would've happened. This is my fault. My fucking fault.

"What's the point?" I wonder aloud, "All I do is fight so I can live and live so I can fight... There's no point anymore."

But I can't give up. I have to move on, for Joel. I grab an old board and pull out my knife. I carve the words: "Here lies Joel Miller, beloved father." And I stick it into the ground just above where I buried him. But I can't leave yet. The grave is missing something. I carve two small stick figures, one with a ponytail like mine. They're both holding guns. It's me and Joel. I sniffle and a tear falls down my cheek as I finish.

"I'll keep fighting... For you, Joel..." I say, hugging the board I had placed there. Memories of Joel flash through my mind. When I first met him, when he taught me to play the guitar, when he showed me Sarah's grave.

"Joel?" I say, as if he's still here, "If we ever see each other again, you sing for me, ya hear?"

My voice chokes up, and I try to force a smile. I can't. I just can't. I need to move on and try to forget this, but I know I can never forget Joel. Never.

* * *

**Penny: Hey guys! Sorry this chapter's so short. :( But hopefully the other ones won't be this short, lol. Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! :) Bye~!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

~Dylan's POV~

I hear the infected tearing into the house me and Mom and Dad had been staying in as I run through the woods. I wanted to stay behind and help them, but Mom wouldn't let me. She said that I had to run, and so I am.

"Keep running... Keep running..." I say to myself, trying to hear my mom saying it to me like she did a few minutes ago. I think I'm far enough away from the house now, and I stop. When I look back, I see nothing but woods.

"I think I lost 'em!" I say to myself, smiling triumphantly. I don't normally talk to myself, but it's hard not to when you're all by yourself. Suddenly, I hear the groaning and shrieking of Runners getting closer to me.

"Oh, sh-" I stop myself from swearing. Mom would always tell me not to swear like Dad. The Runners are getting closer. I have to run. Now. I take off running as fast as I can. Should I call for help? Or would it just make things worse? Is there anyone here in these woods besides the infected? It's worth a shot.

"Help! Someone, help me!" I yell. I feel my eyes tearing up in fear, but I don't care right now. I have to get away from these things, and they're getting closer. I have to get away, and I need help.

~Ellie's POV~

"Help! Someone, help me!" I hear a voice yell in the distance. For the past few minutes, I've felt no emotion but anger and sadness, but now I feel that adrenaline rush again. It's a mix of excitement and fear. Who is that? Who needs help? I jump to my feet and run in the direction I heard the scream. By the time I arrive, I see a young boy running from three Runners. He appears to be around 8 or 9, and he has straw-colored hair and brown eyes, and wearing a brown coat and dark green pants and work boots. The Runners are catching up with him. I load my gun. I'm not letting this kid get bitten.

"Look out, kid!" I shout, and my finger squeezes the trigger as I aim at the first Runner's head, and I kill it. It dies with a terrifying shriek, but I've grown used to the noise. I shoot the next Runner, first in the chest, which makes it nearly fall over from the impact of the bullet, and then in the head, which kills it. The last Runner grabs the boy, trying to bite him.

"Get off of him, you piece of fucking shit!" I yell in rage, carefully aiming and shooting the Runner in the head. The Runner dies, and the boy looks over at me, his eyes wide. I'm breathing heavily, trying to catch my breath as I calm down. Who is this kid? And why is he out here by himself? Did his parents die?

~Dylan's POV~

I stare at the girl with reddish-brown hair. She looks older than I am, but not too much older.

"Th-th-thank you..." I say. I didn't mean to stutter, but I couldn't help it. I was still scared. The girl sighs.

"No problem." she says, "Hey, I couldn't just let 'em kill you, could I?"

I smile lightly.

"I guess not." I say, "Anyway, what's your name?"

She raises a brow. I'm guessing she's a little annoyed with me.

"Ellie." she says, finally, "And you are?"

"I'm Dylan." I say, trying to sound as happy as I can to try and lighten the mood. I see the corner of Ellie's mouth twitch a little. Was she about to smile?

"Well, nice meetin' you." she says, "I've uh... Gotta keep movin'."

I frown.

"Wait!" I say, "Please don't go without me!"

She had turned around to walk away, and now she's facing me again. She sighs.

"Look, kid-" she starts to say.

"Please! I don't know where Mom and Dad are, or if they're even alive." I say, my voice choking up a little bit. The thought of Mom and Dad being dead horrifies me. I don't want them to be dead, but Dad always told me that there was no telling what could happen in a world like this.

~Ellie's POV~

Should I let the kid come with me? He is on his own after all, and his parents are most likely dead, so I can't just leave him out here alone. Hell, he doesn't even have a gun!

"Well..." I say, giving it one last thought, "Okay. You can come with me."

Dylan grins and runs over to me. Before I can back out of the way, he hugs me tightly. He's smaller than me, of course, so he can only hug my waist. I have my arms raised out of the way at first from being surprised. After a minute, I return the embrace and smile a little. The thought of Joel dying is in the back of my mind, and it hurts worse than a gunshot when I think about it. But I have to try not to think about it. I have to move on, and help this kid move on, too. But I don't know if I can handle being a parent to this kid. How the hell did Joel do it? He was pretty amazing.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

~Ellie's POV~

Dylan and I continue walking through the woods. He's telling me something about some sort of card game he and his dad would play, but I can't pay any attention. To be honest, I just want to find his parents and move on on my own.

"Ellie?" he asks, "Are you listening?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah..." I say. He raises a brow.

"You sure?" he asks, and I nod, "Okay!"

Dylan grins.

"Whoa! Look!" Dylan says, running over to an old, wrecked truck.

"Dylan!" I say, running after him. Just how dumb is this kid?! Doesn't he know better than to run off like that?! He's not paying attention and looking at the truck.

"Cool!" he says, "Look at this thing! Do ya reckon it still works?"

I sigh.

"Probably not." I say.

"Do you know how to drive?" Dylan asks, and I nod. He grins.

"Cool!" he says, "My dad used to tell me that you had to be at least sixteen in order to drive without a grown-up. Are you sixteen?"

"No, I'm fourteen." I say.

"Oh, cool." he says, "Well, can we see if it works?"

I know that it most likely doesn't work, but maybe if I just humor him and try to get it to run then we'll be able to move on.

"Alright..." I say, getting in the driver's seat. Before I can try to turn it on, I hear shouting nearby.

"Shit..." I say, "C'mon, we've gotta run. Even if this thing works, it'll cause too much noise."

"But won't we be able to get away quicker?" he asks in a whisper. I shake my head.

"No, I think we'd better stealth through this one." I whisper, "You know how to be stealthy?"

He nods.

"Good." I say, "Now follow me."

We walk away from the truck.

~Dylan's POV~

I wish we could've used the truck, but I'm gonna trust Ellie on this one. We sneak through the woods, knowing that hunters are nearby. I hate hunters. Dad would tell me that they ate other people, but who could do that? Why would they eat OTHER PEOPLE? Why not animals? Finally, we don't hear the voices anymore.

"I hate hunters..." I say.

"Yeah, I do too..." Ellie says. She shivers a little. Had she run into them before?

"Have you run into them before?" I ask.

"Yeah, but... I don't wanna talk about it." Ellie says.

"Oh... Okay." I say. I decide not to say anything else about it, I don't want to make Ellie sad. As we walk, we see the exit of the woods up ahead.

"Look!" I say, "That's the way out!"

I start to run toward it, but Ellie grabs my arm and stops me.

"Nope! No runnin' off without me." she says, slightly sternly. I nod.

"Okay..." I say. We walk out of the woods and we find ourselves in a city.

"Wait... I recognize this place..." Ellie says.

"You do?" I ask.

"Yeah... This is where I grew up..." Ellie says.

~Ellie's POV~

This is the place. The place where I was raised, where I was trained, where I met Riley, where Riley and I... Got bitten. Come to think of it, where is that old mall? Riley's grave is near there, and I kind of... Want to visit it.

"You lived here?" Dylan asks.

"Yeah..." I say, "Uh... Let's keep goin'. I've got somethin' I wanna show you."

Dylan smiles a little.

"What is it?" he asks. I smile a little.

"It's a surprise." I say. We start walking through the city, keeping an ear out for any of the infected. Everything is silent. The only thing we hear is the sound of our footsteps echoing through the city. Where is everyone?

"I wonder where everyone went..." Dylan says.

"I don't know..." I say. Then I remember. I heard about tons of spores getting into the city, and lots of people turning. I hope we don't run into any of them. We're getting closer to the mall, I can tell.


End file.
